Knowing Your School

How are your kids feeling about the new year? Excited? Looking forward to a new start? Nervous? Not sure what to expect? Scared of not finding things?

Getting to know your students and friends are familiar back to school activities. These are important, but also it is vital to let kids explore the school environment. Use a design school project to teach kids about the designated areas for carpet time, independent work, and play areas. The beginning of the year is exciting, scary and overwhelming, yet, learning about where things are makes the kids feel more confident. 

A kid’s learning environment is the place in which they learn. A positive learning environment can support kids to flourish. A learning environment consists of three components - the physical, social and emotional environment. Often, we place little focus on exploring the physical environment, yet, particularly at the beginning of the year it is vital to give kids the chance to explore and learn about where things are.  

Exploring the design of the classroom is a great way to begin the start of the year to ensure that the kids’ feel safe and secure. Learning to draw things in the classroom is a useful skill that will further enhance the learning about the school environment and what makes a great classroom. Get ready for an exciting school year, filled with confident kids who are ready to learn! 

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August 2023 Products

Start the first weeks of school off right by promoting curiosity. Choosing exciting topics and resources prepare kids for a successful year of school. Focus on activities that are educational and that help to ease the kids back to learning, but also include creative elements. Designing a school is a project that could ignite lots of discussions. Exploring ideas related to where to find things in the school is an essential part of the first days at school. Using a fun activity will not only help kids to adjust to the school environment, but the project will also give them plenty of chances to mix art and scissoring skills. 

Following the kids' progress throughout the year as they grow in confidence in their drawing skills is exciting. There are ‘how to draw’ resources that teach drawing skills in simple and easy to follow steps. Start the new year by using a How to Draw Back to School booklet and ask the kids in your class what else they would love to learn to draw. 

Use a Journal to support kids that are travelling to record their experiences. Using a journal gives kids the chance to explore their adventures at a deeper level as compared to writing a short essay about their summer holiday. A great way to explore landmarks, food and culture.

 Grandparents Day is celebrated in the beginning of September so using a booklet towards the end of August gives your kids an opportunity to explore the special bond with the older generation. 

Creating memories of the first day of school is common. You can combine this activity with snapshots from the last day of school. Your kids will make a lovely memory that shows development that has occurred during the year. Kids go through amazing growth during a year, and it is easy that these changes go unnoticed if you meet a child every day. A lovely way to record and celebrate changes. Welcome to a new exciting year!

 

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Desert Animals and Their Habitat

Desert animals are a diverse group of fascinating creatures. The harsh desert environment has resulted in the development of interesting adaptations. A great summer project is to design an animal habitat that makes sure that animals can live and thrive in an environment with extreme temperatures, limited water and food sources. Many animals living in the desert have adapted to the desert by making physiological modifications like controlling body temperatures and conserving water. Presenting their habitat designs is a wonderful learning opportunity. Kids can learn from other kids' designs, and it also helps them to further examine their own ideas. 

The camel is famous for its hump, but contrary to popular beliefs they do not store water there. Instead, the hump consists of stored fat that the camel uses as an extra resource when food is scarce. However, the humps help the camel regulate their body temperature. In the desert it is very warm and hot during the day, but the temperature drops dramatically during the night. Discussions about how changes in temperatures affect our body and the way we eat, and drink is perfect for the summer classroom. A great chance to include the kids' observations and feelings about how their body react to different temperatures.

Ignite kids’ curiosity for learning by exploring the “little armored one”. Armadillos have bony plates, which makes them look like a mix of a giant insect and a medieval knight. Perfect inspiration for a story, poem or comic strip. 

Drawing an armadillo or some other animals that live in the desert is also educational fun at its very best. Kids learn a lot from making a drawing of an animal. It forces them to look carefully at the camel's hump(s), the meerkats' posture, the snake's mesmerizing eyes, or the bony armored body of the armadillo.



There is so much material that you want to teach kids. Look for resources that combine learning with hands-on, engaging activities. Read stories about the fantastic creatures that calls the desert their home. Explore the mystery of desert animals and their survival skills this summer!

Other desert animals: 

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July 2023 Products

July is a hot summer month, perfect for fun and educational themed patriotic activities. Kids want to get creative and learn how to draw things like patriotic ribbons, the USA flag, and the White House. An activity that encourages kids to move around is always great for those warm summer’s day when everyone is a bit tired. Moving around the classroom room, or outside, to read and write messages is a great way to learn more about our country. Kids will love learning while practicing motor skills and burn some energy.

Revising math and literacy skills by using a color by code booklet is a great way to inspire a love for learning. The booklet can be used to revise numbers and literacy skills. Also, it is perfect for just coloring. Coloring is a great summer school activity where kids will in an easy way work on their concentration and focus skills. The boundaries on the figures will also be a great help when they later learn to write.

Use the popular fact booklet with a patriotic theme to support the learning about the holiday of Independence Day. Included are craft activities and materials that you can use in the summer school to explore the history and meaning behind this holiday. 

Make a stunning summer school display of your kid’s work. Check out my bundle where you find all these resources at a reduced price. Letting kids choose between a variety of activities is a great way to celebrate patriotism in style. Why not make July extra special by adding some healthy cooking activities? Make a flag by using apples, blueberries and strawberries. Enjoy the summer! 

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Ocean Animals

Spend time in June to travel from the classroom to the ocean and spark meaningful and engaging conversations about ocean animals. Admittedly, it might not be possible to dive into the ocean to learn about the animals but there are great books and videos that are filled with fascinating facts. From the gentle sea turtles that are famous for their long journeys, and dolphins' acrobatic playful behavior to the seahorses' curly tails and the exciting singing of huge whales. Fascinating animals inhabit the oceans and these are just a  few examples of fascinating ocean animals with unique and amazing and even scary characteristics. Help kids feel connected to the ocean regardless of where they live. 

 Start a project about ocean animals by exploring why oceans are important. Not only is the majority over 70 per cent of our earth occupied by oceans, but the oceans also store carbon dioxide and provide more than half of the world’s oxygen. So healthy oceans are important not only to ocean animals but also to us. 

The bundle Ocean Animals contains several fascinating creatures that spend their lives in our oceans. Kids love picking their favorite animals and this is a great way to help them take ownership of their learning. Providing meaningful choices, like picking an ocean animal, allows kids to decide what they want to focus on. Regardless of which animal they choose, kids will develop the same skill and they will be motivated by focusing on a creature that they have picked themselves. The different Fact Booklets provide kids with a chance to read about ocean animals. They can carry out their own research and write about their chosen creatures. 

 If a kid loves drawing instead of writing, it is easy to diversify the learning experience. Included is also a how-to-draw booklet which is a popular way to develop drawing skills. 

Each booklet comes with suggestions for crafts. You can plan a themed day using the ocean animal crafts. The perfect way to celebrate summer while still providing engaging learning activities. Keep learning happening this June while discovering the fascinating lives of ocean animals. 

A great theme not only means happy kids it is also a great way for you to feel energized and finish the year strong with amazing activities. Use Boom cards with ocean animals to add educational math activities and encourage your kids to practice vital reading skills.

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June 2023 Products

Crabs, seahorses or dolphins! Bring the beach to the June classroom. A project about ocean animals is a great way to ensure something magical happens in the classroom. Learning about ocean animals sparks a sense of wonder for the natural world. Grab a bundle and give your kids a chance to explore their favorite ocean animals. Included in this easy-to-use Fact Booklet bundle is also a how-to-draw booklet. A perfect way to celebrate our oceans and the animals that call it their home. If you want to include the moon in the ocean animals project, let kids draw how our plant looks from the Moon. This is a perfect way to demonstrate the importance of our oceans. 

Did you know that Father’s Day is celebrated in Mexico by a race called Carrera Día del Padre or Father's Day race?  Kids can take part and run the 13-mile race alongside their dads. In Nepal, kids often give sweets as presents while in Germany it is common that kids fathers go away in groups together with other fathers on hiking trips. Let your kids explore how the tradition started in the US and use a Fact Booklet to draw and write about the celebrations of father figures. Many kids grow up without a father so it is important to figure out if there is another person in their lives that is a father figure. Kids can write about and make a gift for an uncle, brother, grandfather or another important ‘father figure’. Directed drawing activities are a simple and engaging way to make a special gift. Every drawing is a masterpiece! 

Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th in the US. This day provides a chance for kids to explore the history of our flag. Celebrate this day and read books about the history behind the “Stars and Stripes”. Did you know that the flag has been modified 26 times? This fact will teach kids several important things about our history as well as our flag. Learning about how to fold the flag is a great practical activity that raises awareness of the importance of our flag.  You can even add a trip to the moon in projects about Flag Day. Neil Armstrong planted a flag on the moon but several other Apollo Missions have also planted a flag. Today only five of the six planted US flags on the moon are still standing. A great conversation starter. 

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